Murderer pleads "not responsible"

by Margaret Stewart - Copy Editor

Tue, Nov 6th 2018 10:00 pm

In August 2017, Megan Dix, resident of the Town of Sweden, was killed in a Lowe’s parking lot. Over a year later, the woman who thought Dix was copying her and is responsible for Dix’s murder, Holly Colino, has appeared in court yet again. After her doctors deemed her incompetent to stand trial in October 2017, due to a schizoaffective disorder with psychotic symptoms, Colino received a “fitness to proceed” clearance in March 2018.

On Monday, Oct. 29 Colino took the stand once again, and this time she entered the plea of “not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect,” said Monroe County District Attorney Perry Duckles.

Duckles, who has been representing Colino in this case went on to explain that this means, “the person is not guilty but is admitting to the conduct as charged in the indictment.”

Despite the amount of media coverage and uproar that is often involved in cases with this type of plea, or perhaps because of it, the plea does not happen as often as the media would lead us to believe. Surprisingly, the number of people who enter this plea is relatively low.

“In my cases, it has only been done twice,” Duckles said. “Ms. Colino was that second time.”

The immense amount of news coverage aids to the illusion of there being a disproportionate amount of people attempting this plea.

For the time being, Colino will remain in the custody of the New York State Department of Mental Hygiene. Going forward, Colino is set to reappear in court on Tuesday, Dec. 11. At that time, the judge will receive a verdict from Colino’s doctors stating whether or not she is a danger to herself or to others. Should she be ruled a danger to herself and others, she will be held in a psychiatric ward that is designed for people who are moving through the criminal justice system, if not she will be in a non-secure psychiatric facility.